Harper felt her pulse flutter at the sight of Luke. His worn jeans were covered in dirt, and the t-shirt molded to his chest had a good deal of sweat mixed in with the dirt. Even his baseball hat had sweat stains. He looked like he had sauntered straight off the pages of a sexy construction worker calendar. The scratch and sniff kind.
“Ladies.” Luke dropped a kiss on Harper’s forehead and crossed to the porch railing where he leaned.
“I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop in,” Claire said innocently.
“Sure you were, Ma. You’re not interrogating poor Harper are you?”
“No, but I was shoving my big, fat foot in my mouth since you neglected to tell me her parents passed away. These things wouldn’t happen if you’d com-mu-ni-cate.” The silvery charms dangling from her ears jingled with each syllable.
“Yes, Ma.” Luke rolled his eyes. “So you weren’t grilling Harper?”
“I hadn’t gotten around to it, yet. I’m a polite interrogator. I was easing Harper into it,” Claire winked.
“How’s work going?” Luke asked. “We got a call today from Della. Says they want to do that addition.”
Claire nodded. “The flower business is booming. I’m only supposed to be there two days a week, but I’ve been called in just about every Friday and a couple of Saturdays to help with wedding orders. Della and Fred are looking to hire someone full-time to eventually take over as manager.”
“Do they have any candidates?” Harper asked.
“You’re not looking to quit already, are you?” Luke teased.
Harper laughed. “No, but Gloria is looking for something.”
“Gloria Parker? Good for her!” Claire nodded briskly. “It’s about time she gets a chance to spread her wings. Have her call the store and I’ll hook her up with Della for an interview.”
“That would be great! Thank you so much.”
“Hey, I owe the girl who inspired my son to get a girlfriend, hire an office manager, and buy furniture more than a few mini cheesecakes.”
“Cheesecakes?” Luke perked up.
***
Luke walked his mother to her car, mostly to make sure she didn’t corner Harper and try to wrangle any more information out of her.
“I like the new furniture,” she told him, digging her keys out of her purse. “It’s starting to look like a home.”
“Ma.” Luke didn’t try to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
“Don’t you ‘Ma’ me. I’m allowed to check up on my children. Forty-seven hours of labor gives a mother certain privileges.”
“For the love of —”
“I really like her, Luke. You’re smiling again.” She brought a hand to his face. “It’s been a long time.”
He grumbled, but took his mom’s hand and kissed her palm. “She’s a good girl, Ma. I like her, too. Now can we stop talking about my love life?”
She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Fine. Now go take your girl out to dinner. She deserves it.”
Luke waited until his mother had pulled out of the driveway before whipping out his cellphone. His parents liked his girlfriend and that was a problem.
“I need sneaky, underhanded advice so I’m coming to you.” Luke paced the driveway.
“Is it weird that I’m flattered?” Sophie asked.
“What do I tell Mom and Dad about Harper leaving?”
Josh screamed in the background.
